India: Government is accused of being corrupt for manipulating an asbestos study

New Delhi, India – Several prominent trade unions and civil society groups are calling foul play over a new study being co-funded by the Indian government and the asbestos industry.

The organizations have gotten in touch with the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers to campaign against the acceptance of the study’s findings and presented evidence gathered through the Right to Information Act that proved the government was colluding with the asbestos industry to create a false report, which gives data that support the use of asbestos.

The goal of the study, conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), was to assess the impact of asbestos on workers who handle it. The NIOH reported that the results provide data that support the exclusion of white asbestos from a special list, which requires countries to attain permission before taking steps to export the material.

The unions and society groups presented documents which prove that the government and asbestos industry, the financiers of the study, were manipulating the reports generated by the NIOH.

The government is planning to present the findings of the study at the Rotterdam Convention later this year to the Chemical Review Committee, an expert body which judges whether a hazardous product should be placed on the special list.

More than 40 countries have banned the use of asbestos, a substance proven by research to cause cancer, but the Indian government has continuously insisted that its usage is safe as long as the proper safety guidelines are following regarding its handling.

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